The recent earthquakes in eastern Afghanistan have had alarming consequences on the nutrition and health of children and women.
According to reports, more than 37,000 children under the age of five and 10,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women are now facing a serious risk of malnutrition.
Save the Children has warned that the widespread destruction of health centers in the earthquake-affected areas has deepened the crisis. According to figures from the network of aid organizations, more than 91,000 people in these areas are in urgent need of assistance. In the east of the country alone, at least 16 health centers have been damaged, with one completely destroyed.
In addition, due to the reduction in international aid, about 80 clinics and mobile health teams—equivalent to 9 percent of health facilities in eastern Afghanistan—have been shut down this year, depriving 564,000 people of healthcare services.
Nationwide, around 422 health centers have been closed or suspended, restricting access to vital services for 3 million people.
Samira Sayed Rahman, Advocacy Director at Save the Children in Afghanistan, says: “Child malnutrition is already a national crisis. The recent earthquake has intensified this crisis, and reduced funding means reduced access to food and healthcare services for children and their families.”
According to statistics, the earthquake has so far claimed the lives of 2,200 people, including 750 children. Meanwhile, Afghanistan is grappling with a widespread malnutrition crisis; nearly 5 million children—about 20 percent of the country’s child population—are facing severe food shortages, and an estimated 3.5 million children will suffer from malnutrition this year.
